


Hide

by darkmystress00



Category: Supernatural
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-09-23
Updated: 2016-12-13
Packaged: 2018-08-16 22:59:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 9
Words: 22,408
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8120902
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/darkmystress00/pseuds/darkmystress00
Summary: Being an ordinary human being seemed so boring most of the time. That is, until you found yourself smack in the middle of a war. Now Angels and Demons are after you and all you can do is hope the two Winchester boys and their mysterious friend Castiel can keep you safe.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first time writing a reader-insert and also my first time writing a Supernatural fic. Please be gentle. 
> 
> The beginning is slow, but it does get better. I hope you enjoy!
> 
> Y/N = Your name. This is meant to be a reader insert so when you read that you're supposed to insert your name into the fic.

The wind bit at the back of your neck as you walked down the darkened street towards home. You hunched your shoulders in, trying to gather all your warmth and keep it in your jacket. Your eyes darted around the familiar setting as you quietly counted the buildings left until your apartment building. It wasn’t that you lived in a dangerous area per say, but it was definitely not a great thing to be walking home, alone, at this hour. You stopped in your tracks, hearing something (or someone) skittering along in the shadows behind you. With a nervous breath, you flicked your eyes down the alley and once again verified there was no one there lurking in the shadows. With a shake of your head, you started walking again, counting down until you were home again.

Your steps quickened as you crossed the street, your hands sunk deeper into your coat pockets as you watched your building loom on the horizon. You couldn’t shake this feeling of being watched and it made your heart pound. Your hands shook as you pulled out your keys and fumbled to pick the key that would unlock the ground floor. The resounding clicks from the lock unlocking helped your nerves to settled a bit. You made it up to your apartment and sighed in relief as you opened your door and made your way inside.

You needed a nice hot shower to help unbunch your tired and cold muscles, and a good night’s sleep. You pulled your hair down from its high messy bun, running your fingers through it and sighing. Before you could slip into your pajamas a knock sounded on your door and you turned to answer it, curious about who could be at your door at this hour. You pull it open cautiously, staring out at a charming pizza delivery boy. Although boy was the wrong word for him.

Piercing green eyes stared at you, as a gorgeous smile blossomed on his face. He wore a baseball cap with the local pizza joint’s name on it, but you could see his dirty blonde hair poking out from the back. He was tall, and had a face that would stop most girls in their tracks. “H-Hello?” You say, pulling the door open just a little more.

“Hey. I have a pizza for a Y/N.” He grinned at you and it made your insides flutter. Your heart thudded a bit faster and it was almost enough to make you forget that you hadn’t ordered a pizza.

“I’m Y/N…but I didn’t order a pizza.” You frowned and stared at the pizza’s in his hand confused.

“Y/N at 3B Park Place?” He recited and you smiled at him, understanding dawning on you.

“This is 4B. 3B is one floor down.” You smiled at him as he looked down at the receipt on top of the pizza box.

“Oh, you know what. Thank you.” He grinned at you. “I can’t tell any of these floor apart. They all look the same.” You gave him an awkward laugh and shrug.

“Yeah. It can be a bit confusing.” He stood there for a moment, just staring at you, before you clear your throat gently. “Well, I hope 3B enjoys their pizza.” That seemed to snap him out of it and he cleared his own throat before nodding.

“Right. Well, uh, good night.”

“Good night.” And without another word you closed your door with a click, sliding the lock in place, and made your way towards your bathroom to get ready for bed.

~~~~

Dean slid into the impala, handing the two pizza boxes off to Sam in the passenger seat. “So, was it her?”

“Yeah. It was her, right where he’d said we’d find her.” Dean said, opening the top box and pulling out a slice to scarf down. They’d been casing the building, trying to figure out a way inside so they could get closer to their target – you – but it had been lucky happenstance that you’d made your way down the block and into the building right in front of them. Dean had actually been standing mere feet from you, but you’d been so preoccupied you hadn’t noticed him and for that he was grateful. He wouldn’t have been able to explain why he was waiting outside (without pizza or hat) when he’d shown up at your door with his cover story.

“So, why isn’t she down here in the impala so we can get her back to the bunker?” Sam asked, like it was the most obvious question in the world.

“What do you want, Sammy? Want me to sling her over my shoulder and carry her down here kicking and screaming?” Sam grimaced, but nodded his head in understanding. “She’s in her apartment, and she’s safe for the time being. We’re gonna have to just wait until we can explain things and make a move.”

“Dean, do you really think time is on our side? She’s got angels and demons after her, and she’s got no clue.”

“What do you want to do? March up there and knock on her door, and say ‘Hello there, Y/N, you need to come with us. Due to circumstances we can’t explain to you right now, you’ve got very powerful and dangerous things after you. Oh yeah, and p.s. Angels and Demons are real. And they’re pissed as hell.’? I mean c’mon Sammy. She’s a civilian. She’d have us hauled away to the looney bin in a heartbeat and you know it.”

“Point taken, but Dean, you know what he’s gonna do if she gets hurt? Cas said-“

“Dammit Sammy, I know what he said. There isn’t anything we can do right now, except keep watch and be the first ones there if anything happens.” Sam let out a sigh, but settled into his seat, snagging his own slice of pizza as Dean grabbed another one as well. It was going to be a long night.

~~~

You groaned as you secured your hair up on the top of your head, pulling your uniform on and slipping your shoes on. It was early, but you had opening shift at the coffee house where you worked. It sucked on the days you had closing the night before and opening just after. It meant you had just enough time to get home, get to sleep, and get a whopping six hours before you needed to get up and do it again. At your age, many people looked at you funny when you told them you were a barista for the local coffee shop. It didn’t matter that you were working your way through school (slowly…oh so very slowly); all that mattered was that you were getting on in your age (well, according to the middle-aged women who seemed to judge you just by looking at you while you made their frothy java lattes) and you still worked at a job considered for teens. You shook your head and sighed. You were only in your twenties for God’s sake. Sometimes people were ridiculous.

You snagged your keys and a jacket and made your way down the hall, locking your apartment up tight. You noticed the elevator had just gone past your floor so you opted for the stairs, going down the four flights easily. You made it halfway to work before you realized you’d left your wallet at home. With a groan you turned on your heel and quickly made your way back to your apartment. On your way you called the girl you were supposed to open with and quickly caught her up to speed.

“Marsella? Hi, it’s Y/N.”

“Hello!” She chirped into your ear and you had to resist the urge to grumble about morning people.

“I left my wallet at home, so I had to run home to get it. You’re going to beat me to the shop. Can you put some coffee on to brew and get the pastries all set out? I should be there before we need to open the doors.”

“Oh, no problem!” She said. “I’m already almost there, so I’ll get everything set up. Take your time.”

“Thank you!” You clicked your phone off and shoved it into your pocket. Your wallet was laying on the coffee table, where you’d tossed it when you’d walked in last night. With an exasperated sigh you snagged it and headed right back out the door.

~~~

Marsella was a short girl, tanned skin and dark brown hair with the kind of natural curl that everyone was jealous of. She was nineteen, fresh into college and excited for life to begin. She’d only been working at the shop for a few months, but oftentimes found herself on opening shift, which was great because she enjoyed being awake in the mornings. She was a morning person. With a flick of her wrist she tossed her hair over her shoulder and let herself into the coffee shop, locking the door behind her. She needed to get the coffee started and then she could work on the pastries.

With quick hands she piled the dark coffee grounds into the paper filters and filled the tanks with water to be heated and brewed. Once the four machines were ready, she turned and made her way into the back store room, freezing with a small yelp as she noticed someone standing in the dark. She flicked on the lights and relaxed when she noticed it was the shift manager, Derrik standing in front of her.

“Oh! Derrik, you scared me!” She called with a smile. “I didn’t expect you for another half hour.” The shift managers hardly ever showed up for morning prep; opting to show up a half hour late to make sure to be present when the shift changed so there weren’t any tasks left untended.

With a dark grin Derrik lunged and grabbed Marsella by the throat, pinning her to the wall and lifting her up. Her feet kicked out, trying to get free, while her hands fought at the hand at her throat. “Der-rik.” She gasped. 

“Where is Y/N?” He growled, his eyes flashing pure black. Marsella let out a muffled scream as she fought. “Where is she?!” He seethed again.

“Late.” She gasped out, trying to breathe. The sound of rustling feathers startled both Derrik and Marsella. Derrik dropped Marsella, his black eyes turning to the woman in a suit who now stood behind him. Marsella laid in a crumpled heap, coughing and crying. Her brown eyes darted up to watch the scene before her.

“Shove off Halo…this one’s mine. The king wants the girl…and I’m here to bring her to him.” The woman in the suit looked to Marsella.

“This is her?” Her eyes flicked back to Derrik who sneered at her. With a put-upon sigh she reached forward, laying her hand on Derrik’s forehead, and a bright light shone from Derrik’s eyes and mouth. Derrik let out a pained scream before a black cloud shot from his mouth, disappearing into a vent in the wall. Marsella watched as Derrik fell to the ground and the woman in the suit turned her attention to Marsella. “Are you Y/N?”

“N-No…” Marsella breathed, praying they would leave her alone. The woman closed the gap before her and with a whimper she tried to back into the wall as the woman reached down, laying her hand on Marsella’s forehead. With a pained scream light shone from Marsella’s eyes and mouth, and then with a flutter of wings the woman in the suit

~~~

You opened the door to the coffee shop, noticing the coffee was brewing, but the pastries weren’t put out. Maybe you hadn’t arrived as late as you thought. “Marsella?” You called as you rounded the corner to head towards the back store room. You entered the back room and the scene that met your eyes caused you to let out a scream. You stumbled backwards into the main store front, another scream welling up in your throat as a crash sounded behind you.

The pizza guy from the night before stood in front of you, gun drawn and concerned eyes pinned on you. “Are you hurt?” You couldn’t even answer him. “Alright, this is going to sound insane, but I need for you to just trust me. You have to come with us.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I'm posting this a tad early. I planned on posting Monday, but I hate sitting on a chapter when it's done and ready. Hope you enjoy! 
> 
> Feedback is always, always appreciated and enjoyed!! Thank you for taking the time to stop by and read my random writing!

Your eyes stared, wide and confused, at the guy from last night, his words hitting your ears, but not making any sense to your fear riddled mind. What were the chances that this stranger happened to knock on the wrong door last night, and then your coworkers were laid out with their eyes burned out in the storeroom at your work? Your eyes were trained on the gun in the blonde’s hands and you felt your insides run cold. You watched as he swept into the coffee shop, followed by a taller moose of a man. They both made their ways to the back store room to see what had happened to your coworkers. You heard them muttering something about ‘sulfur’ and ‘demons’ before they stooped down to examine Marsella’s face. The moment the word ‘angels’ left their lips you turned on your heels and high tailed it out of there. 

These men were nuts, talking about demons and angels. You needed to get as far away from them as you possibly could before you became their next victim. First he’d shown up at your house, and thank God you hadn’t let him in! Then he’d shown up at your work…no doubt after murdering your friends. You heard the crazy blonde cry your name from the coffee shop and your heart thudded into overdrive. You started sprinting in a random direction, not really sure where to go. Where was safe? They already knew where you lived, so you couldn’t go home. The police station was across town and there was no way you’d make it there before they found you.

The air burned in your lungs as you ran, but you couldn’t stop. Not with the thunderous sounds of foot falls echoing off the buildings around you. “Y/N!” He yelled behind you and you knew he was getting closer. Panic welled up inside you and you darted down an alley hoping to hide and get away. You were securely hidden behind a dumpster when you heard him run past you, a curse slipping from his lips at noticing you were nowhere to be seen. When it seemed like the coast was clear you stepped out from your hiding place, daring a deep gasping breath. Your name being said behind you made you jump nearly in the air. You turned, your wide eyes to the woman behind you in the alley. 

“Are you Y/N?” the woman in the suit asked, her voice even. You took in her appearance, short curly brown hair that almost matched her rich brown skin. She was beautiful. She was in a suit and it struck you as odd, but maybe she was someone who had watched what had happened and watched you try to get away from the crazy guy. 

“Lady, you gotta help me.” You breathe, trying to keep your voice down so your pursuer wouldn’t hear you. “This crazy guy is after me, and I-I think he killed my friends.” You took a step closer to her. “We need to get the cops.” The woman just watched you, her face cold and collected, and deathly calm. 

“The Winchester boys did not kill your friends.” She started and it made you freeze. She started towards you as an odd silver blade slipped into her hand from what seemed to be up her sleeve. “They were of no use to me, so I disposed of them. It’s you I need.” Her free hand reached up towards you. “Now, come with me. I’d hate to have to hurt you.”

“Not on your life.” You gasp as you scramble to take a few steps back. She let out a sigh. 

“Why are you humans always so difficult?” She frowned at you. “Have it your way.” She slashed out at you with the blade and you lunged backwards to miss being sliced by the deadly looking blade. You move threw you off balance and you found yourself falling backward onto your rump. You watched with horror in your eyes as she advanced on you, blade poised high. 

“Get away from me! Leave me alone!”

“Hey, you angel bitch-“ You eyes jumped to the blonde who was standing near the wall behind the woman. “She said leave her alone!” and he slammed his hand down against the wall. You watched as a weird symbol glowed on the wall and a bright light made the woman disappear with a screech. You sat there, frozen, staring at the place where she’d been standing over you. Your eyes darted to the blonde and you noticed, in the dawning light, that his hand was covered in blood. 

“Wh-what did you do to her?” Your words were jumbled and nervous, and it felt like you were trying to speak around a lump in your throat. 

“I sent her back to Heaven.” He rumbled, staring at you. Your confusion only grew. 

“What the hell are you talking about?” He moved from the wall and came towards you, holding out his unbloodied hand to help you up. You sat there a moment longer. 

“Look, I know this is kind of hard to understand, but angels are real. And they’re real dicks.” He looked back to the sigil on the wall. “And that sends them away temporarily. So we need to get moving. She’ll be back soon.” You stared at his outstretched hand. “I swear I will explain everything but, we really gotta get a move on.” You took his hand and he helped you up. 

“I don’t understand.” 

“Come on, when we get to the car I’ll explain everything.” 

“I’m not going anywhere until you explain. You need to explain it to me now dammit.” You cried, anger and frustration boiling over inside you. The world had suddenly gone topsy-turvy and this stranger was asking you to trust him. Like hell. You’d just seen two of your friends murdered, and had another crazy lady try to kill you too. You needed answers. 

“Look, unless you want me to toss you over my shoulder and carry you caveman style, you need to at least move while I explain.” You gave him a nod and watch as he started leading you back towards the street. “So, everything you think you know is wrong. Angels are real, and so are demons. And right now, they’re in a war.” You take a shuddering breath. “That chick back there was an angel. And she was after you.” 

“But why? I haven’t done anything. I’m not religious!” 

“That’s where things get complicated. Let’s just say, you’re special.” He supplied and waved a hand out in the air to signal to someone else. You watched as a black Impala rolled up towards you, and he opened the passenger door to let you into the back. “Back in the coffee shop, did you notice that weird smell?” You nodded. “That was sulfur. That means there was a demon. Judging by the fact that the guy seemed long dead, I’m going to say he was possessed by a demon.”

“Derrik was possessed by a demon?” You climbed into the back of the Impala and watched as the blonde got into the front next to Moose-man (that’s what you were going to call him until you got his name.) 

“That would be my guess.”

“But why?”

“We think it was looking for you.” Moose-man said before pulling back onto the street and driving away. 

“Me?” Your mind was swimming. “But…why?” The two exchanged glances. “Oh right…I’m special.” You muttered bitterly. “So you mean to tell me not only do I have angels on my ass…I’ve also got demons after me too?” 

“Basically.” The blonde supplied. 

“So, what, I’m just supposed to hide in my apartment for the rest of my life? I mean, if you found me, they’ll find me too.” 

“Actually,” Moose-man hedged awkwardly. “your apartment isn’t safe for you anymore. Now that they know where you are they can find you a lot easier than we could. You need to come to a safe house. With us.” You bit your lip, trying to reign in the indignant emotions coursing through you. 

“I don’t even know you two.” You said fisting your hands in your lap. “I don’t know your names, or where this safe house is. For all I know you two could be escape mental patients.” The blonde looks at you over his shoulder and smiles a half smile at you. 

“I’m Dean, and this is my little brother Sam. We’re the Winchesters. This is kind of our thing. We’re hunters. We keep people like you safe from all the bad things in the dark. Ain’t that right, Sammy?”

“Yeah.” Moose-man replied. You pressed your lips together thinking. Honestly, what choice did you have? It was either go along with all of this, or wait it out and see how things went without them. And judging by how your friends had been killed, you didn’t think you’d be able to wing it on your own.

“Ok. So, Sam and Dean…” You paused, thinking. “Do we have enough time so I can stop by my apartment? If I’m not really allowed to go back, I’d like to at least grab a few things.” Sam and Dean looked at each other and Sam shrugged. 

“Yeah, we can spare a couple minutes, but one of us has to come up with you. If an angel is inside we’re going to have to just leave it for another time.” You gave a nod to show understanding. “Look, I know this all sounds crazy, but trust me. When you hear the whole story-” He trailed off hesitantly and you got the distinct impression he was hiding something from you. “When you’ve seen the things we’ve seen, this is nothing.”

“Well, I guess I’m just going to have to take your word for it.” You replied staring out the window. You realized they were taking you to your apartment without you even having to tell them how. It made sense. They’d found you last night, so they probably already knew how to get back there. It wasn’t like it was far. 

~~~ 

You stood in your apartment, looking around your small room trying to figure out what to bring. Since you didn’t know exactly how long you’d be gone (or if you could ever come back) there was a considerable amount that you wanted to take, but you knew you couldn’t. You settled on the two old photo albums you’d gotten from your mom before she’d passed, your small stuffed bear that your dad had given you before he’d left and never came home (he’d died on his way to work but you were so little you just remember him never coming back), and as much of your clothing as you could. You sighed as you wrapped up your laptop cord and tucked it into the front pocket of your old backpack, slipping your laptop and it’s case into the large regular section. You grabbed a few other odds and ends before hefting your backpack to your shoulder and picked up the duffle sitting on the bed. 

You trudged on heavy feet out to the living room where the boys were waiting. Sam’s eyes softened as he reached for your duffle. “We’ll bring you back to pick up stuff if there’s anything you need still here.”

“So, I’m in for the long haul huh?”

“We don’t know how long this war is going to last. It’s better to over plan than run out of options.” Dean spoke from beside you. You gave a nod. 

“Alright, well, as far as I can see, I’m ready.” You saw Dean’s eyebrow rise as his eyes settled on the teddy bear poking out of your backpack. You felt your cheeks redden but smiled softly. “It’s the last thing I got from my dad before he died. I was pretty young and hardly remember him, but whenever I look at it, I feel like I can remember what he looks like.” Dean smiled softly at you before nodding. 

“We better head out. I feel like hangin’ around is just askin’ for trouble.”

“Yeah. You ready Y/N?” You gave a nod and watched as the brothers file out of the apartment. You closed the door and locked it up tight, sighing as you follow them down the hall away from your whole life as you knew it. 


	3. Chapter 3

Your eyes scanned everything as you walked around the bunker, backpack slung over your shoulder and duffle gripped tightly in your hand. You watched as Sam and Dean walked through the hallways, motioning to different parts of the vast space. So far you’d walked through the ‘war room’ (whatever the hell that was), past the library, the kitchen, a couple bathrooms, and you were coming up on what seemed to be a corridor of bedrooms. Dean and Sam stopped in front of you and smiled. “You can pick any room you want.” Sam offered. “Mine is at the end of this corridor, and Deans is over there.” Sam motioned with his hand towards the room that Dean had claimed as his own. “You have your pick of the rest. Go ahead and make yourself at home.” You nodded quietly still looking around. 

The emotion swirling around inside you were a mix that made it hard to pinpoint exactly how you were feeling. You were struggling with the loss of your friends. It was finally hitting you that two people you knew, worked with, joked with, cared about were gone  _ because _ of you. Because they happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time and their only crime was knowing you and existing in your general sphere of existence. It just wasn’t fair and it made you want to cry, and scream at the unfairness of it all. You were also completely stunned at the vastness of this bunker you were now going to call home. It was huge. You’d expected it to be a small little hideaway when you’d be on your way here. Then when you’d arrived, you’d expected it to be a bit grungier (in your defense, it looked pretty daunting and dark from the outside), but upon entering you’d realized it was pristine. It was beautiful and completely equipped with any and everything to keep you safe. 

As that sudden realization hit you, you were flooded with a sense of deep relief that made you want to well up and cry. The ride over had been very enlightening. You’d learned about all the different monsters the boys had fought and killed. You were terrified to realize that so many things were out there, prowling, and so many people were unaware. The fact that you’d made it this far without having a run in with one of them was mind boggling, but now you found yourself on the run because two different creatures (or types of creatures) were after you for some reason that the boys would dance around every time you asked. 

You felt an arm wrap around your shoulders and pull you into a gentle side hug. “You’ll be ok. We wont let anything happen to you.” Dean murmured from above your head. “This place is warded against everything, and Sam and I are here to protect you too.”

“Yeah, and Cas is...” Sam started. You missed the look Dean shot at Sam, but you nodded into Dean’s shoulder. 

“I know.” You breathed, not commenting on the fact that Sam stopped mid-sentence. “I’m just,” you paused to take in a deep breath and swallow down the emotions threatening to close your throat. “It’s all just hitting me, you know?” You looked up at the boys. “Derrik, Marsella. Angels, demons.” You shrugged a shoulder. “I wish there was something I could do for them, go back and fix it. They’re gone because of me. Because they knew me, worked with me. It’s my fault.”

“No,” Dean cut in. “You didn’t do anything. It’s not your fault. It’s the angel’s fault, the demon’s fault.” His voice was hard, almost fierce, trying to get you to understand. Trying to get you to believe. You nodded again. It didn’t help but you appreciated that he was trying. As of twenty four hours ago you had never laid eyes on this person and he was trying to comfort you. 

“Thank you, Dean.” You looked up at him and smiled a small smile. You looked to Sam. “You too, Sam. Without you two, I don’t know what would have happened to me.” They both smiled softly at you, but you could tell they were strained smiles. “Alright. I’m going to go pick out a room, and unpack.” Dean released you and both boys watched as you picked a room at random and walked inside with your bags. 

Sam walked up to Dean, and they met eyes. “She’s handling this pretty well.” Dean commented lowly. 

“For seeing two people she knows murdered, yeah, she’s handling this extremely well.” Sam’s eyes stared at the door before looking back at Dean. “Should we let him know we have her? That she’s here and safe?”  Dean looked at Sam before turning and making his way into the library and away from your room. Sam followed silently, waiting for Dean to answer him. 

“We should, but I don’t want to right now.” Dean finally replied as soon at they entered the library and shut the door. Sam gave him a puzzled look. “She just saw her friends die, her life has been flipped upside down, and she just narrowly escaped being grabbed and tortured by both angels and demons. I don’t think she can handle being introduced to Cas right now.”

“You think he’d unload on her right away?” Sam asked, concern filling his voice as he sat down. 

“I don’t know Sammy, but that girl in there definitely cannot handle any more crap being thrown at her right now. Let’s give her a couple days.” Sam nodded in understanding. 

“We still need to tell him.” Dean gave him a hard look that said he disagreed. “Look, Dean, I’m not saying we need to introduce him to her today, but we should at least let him know she’s safe. He deserves at least that much.”

“Fine Sam. But how are we going to keep him from popping up into her room unannounced and spilling the rest of the story?”

“I wont do that until she is ready.” Cas’s voice startled both of the boys. They both jerked to look at Cas who was standing next to the closed door. 

“Cas,” Dean greeted. 

“Hello Dean, Sam.” He tipped his head towards them. “I take it Y/N is here and unharmed.”

“Yeah, but she’s pretty messed up right now.” Dean started. 

“What happened?” Cas asked, concern laced in his voice. 

“She just saw two of her friends murdered. She saw what happens when you have angels and demons on your ass. She’s lost her whole life, man, and she’s having a hard time coping right now. She just needs a couple days before you go popping in there and melt her mind.”

“I would never melt her mind Dean.” Cas said, exasperated that Dean would even suggest such a thing. “I don’t want her hurt. That’s why I sent you two after her in the first place.”

“I don’t mean literally man!” Dean sighed as he rolled his eyes at the angel before him. “She needs time before you go in there and tell her the truth.”

“I have not lied to her. Did you?” Cas squinted his eyes  at the two of them. 

“No.” Dean grit his teeth. “I mean, she needs to know the real reason she’s become the focus for demons and angels. Yesterday she was a nobody, today she’s Heaven and Hell’s most wanted! She’s going to start asking why, and you’re going to have to be the one to tell her. Just,” Dean held out his hand as if to stop Cas from moving, “not yet. Give her a couple days.” Dean studied Castiel. “She deserves at least a couple of days.” He watched as Cas nodded. 

“Dean, I didn’t plan to tell Y/N until she was ready. I’ve known Y/N all her life. I wouldn’t do anything to cause her undue pain.” 

“So we agree. No popping in on her unannounced?”

“Agreed.” Cas said with a curt nod. 

“So,” Dean jerked when Castiel disappeared without so much as a word. “What the…” There was a gently knock on the library door before it opened and you popped your head in quickly. “Y/N?” Dean’s eyes widened as he looked at you before they darted around the library to make sure Castiel was completely gone. He noticed the confused look on your face before you shook your head and pushed door open to enter the room. 

~~~ 

You looked around the empty room, your eyes brimming with unshed tears. They were confused tears, sad for your friends, but relieved that you had been spared, at least for today. You sniffed. You needed to calm down. You sat down on your bed and pulled your bear out of your backpack. You hugged it to your chest and breathed, very grateful that you were alone. The boys would have thought you were ridiculous hugging a damned stuffed animal to try to calm down. It took you a couple minutes, but you were able to slow the rapid beating of your heart, and swallow the tight lump that had lodged itself in your throat. With a sigh you ran a hand over your face and shook your head. 

You needed to unpack and get settled. You gently set your bear down on the bed before you stood up and picked up both bags. There was a small dresser in the corner so you pulled all your clothes out and gently set them into the drawers. Your laptop went on top of the dresser, and you made a mental note to ask the boys if there was a small desk you could snag to bring into your room, depending on how long you were going to stay here anyway. 

You busied yourself with setting out the random odds and ends you’d packed away until both your bags laid empty on your bed. The last thing you pulled out was a small picture of you and your mother, hugging each other and smiling. You touched your mother’s smiling face and smiled sadly. You missed her. With a sigh you placed the framed picture against the lamp sitting on the little nightstand next to your bed, and you looked around the room. It was about as lived in as you could make it. You hadn’t brought much, and it showed, but you knew you could make it feel like yours if you got to stay here for a while. 

Your stomach let out a loud growl and you realized you were suddenly very hungry. You’d slept through most of the trip here, and when you hadn’t been sleeping you’d spent the time talking to Sam and Dean. There hadn’t been much time for eating an actual meal. You needed to find the boys and see if you could make something or grab something from the kitchen you’d seen on the quick tour through the bunker. 

You opened your door, almost a little surprised to notice the boys weren’t still waiting in the hallway for you. Deep down you knew they would wander off to go do whatever it was that they did. You bit your lip before making your way back towards the war room. When you got near the library you heard voices mumbling through the door. You couldn’t make out what was being said, but you definitely recognized Sam and Dean’s voices along with a third you’d never heard before. You moved to knock on the door and silence met you. You popped your head in, expecting to see the third person they had been talking to. You were confused when you noticed it was only the boys. You knew you’d distinctly heard another voice in here, one that wasn’t theirs. Maybe they’d been on the phone? You brushed the thought aside and stepped inside the library. 

“I’m a little hungry. Is it ok if I make some food?” You shoved your hands into your pockets and stared at them. 

“Yeah, of course. Help yourself.” Sam said with a smile and you grinned at him. 

“Would you guys like me to make you something? I make a mean pot of spaghetti.” You offered teasingly. It was most definitely dinner time, and you didn’t really like to cook for just yourself. 

“That sounds great.” Dean said with a smile. “C’mon, I’ll show you where the kitchen is.” You grinned as the boys followed you to the kitchen, and helped you find everything to make dinner. 

“So,” you hedged hesitantly, not wanting to sound ungrateful, “how long do you think I’ll stay here?” Both Sam and Dean looked at each other before looking at you. 

“You need to stay until this whole war calms down.” Dean offered. “This is the safest place for you.” You smiled to yourself a bit at the fact that it seemed like Dean was trying to convince you to stay. 

“No, I know that. I just…” You shrugged a shoulder, stirring the boiling noodles. “I wasn’t sure if this was…somewhere I could call home too.

“Of course, Y/N.” Sam said. “Even after everything is settled and you’re safe. You are welcome to stay here. This can be home as long as you want it to be.” The smile that lit up your face had both brothers grinning right back at you. 

“Thank you.” You turned back to dinner and smiled. “Alright, grab some plates boys, dinner is served.” 


	4. Chapter 4

“So, let me get this straight.” You sat, knees pulled up towards your chin, in a plush armchair. “There are two tablets things? One is an angel tablet and one is a demon tablet. And only some kid named Kevin can read them, but according to him they lay out some special trials to close heaven and hell.” 

“Pretty much.” Dean said as he took a swig of the amber liquid in his tumbler. Your eyes watched the motion. You’d been in the bunker for about a week now, and you noticed Dean often had a bottle or a tumbler at his side. You knew he had to have something hurting him deep down to feel the need to drink as often as he did, but you didn’t feel it was your place to try to uncover those wounds.    


“And, the demons want me because you two are trying to close the gates of hell?”

“In essence.” Sam replied as he leaned against the wall. 

“But what makes me so special? Why would coming after me stop you two from closing the gates of hell? I’m nobody to you guys.” Dean and Sam met eyes and an uneasy feeling passed through the room. 

“Well,” Sam started, “uhm, you…” Sam floundered and you narrowed your eyes at him. 

“Remember when I said you’re special? Well, that’s where it comes in to play. You’re special, and if they got a hold of you…well that would just be bad news for everyone.” You narrowed your eyes at him again, completely and utterly confused. 

“But, I don’t understand.  _ Why _ am I so special? You’d never met me until the night before everything happened…there’s no way me getting nabbed would have stopped you two from closing the gates of hell.” Dean pursed his lips a bit and you got the distinct impression he was trying to figure out what to say without uncovering whatever big secret they were still dancing around. 

“Look, Y/N, there is more to the story, but we can’t really tell you all of it right now.”

“And why is that?” You spat out sarcastically as you glared at him. 

“It’s not our story to tell.” Sam offered, as Dean met your eyes and held your glare. You let out a huff but turned your eyes to Sam. 

“Alright, fine. So that’s why demons are after me. But, why are angels after me too? They obviously aren’t trying to protect me from the demons. That one chick in the alley tried to kill me too.” 

“Ah, yeah. That has to do with the angel tablet and closing heaven.” Your eyes widened as you watched Sam. He was being particularly careful about what he was saying, but the fact that you were getting any information made you entirely more comfortable, even if it was carefully compiled information. 

“Am I responsible for that somehow? Did that happen?” You squeaked. Sam smiled. 

“No. But someone is.” Sam looked at Dean and you barely saw the small nod of the older Winchester’s head before Sam continued. “Our friend Castiel is trying to close heaven.”

“But you told me Castiel was an angel.” You wanted to groan because all the pieces just wouldn’t click in your head. 

“He is.” Dean rumbled from his spot in the chair next to you. “Look, a while ago the apocalypse happened.” Your eyes widened and you looked from Dean to Sam, swallowing thickly as Sam nodded. “Sammy and I were able to stop it. Well, that kind of pissed off some of the angels. They wanted to finish it.” Your eyes darted from Sam to Dean, but Dean held up his hand to keep you from speaking. “There was a war up there, angels against angels. Cas was part of it. He thinks that by closing heaven they can kind of sort out their issues since God has taken off.” 

“God’s disappeared?” You asked quickly. 

“Really?” Dean looked befuddled. “ _ That’s _ what you take away from that information?”

“Look, everything you’re telling me is just so far-fetched.” You shrug. “I guess it’s just hard to imagine God taking off. I mean he’s  _ God! _ ” You said as if that explained everything. “He’s everywhere!” You huffed again but shook your head. “Alright, so Cas is trying to shut heaven so the angels can get their act together.” Dean nodded. “Again…what the hell does that have to do with me?” you growled. Dean’s eyes shot to Sam who opened his mouth the answer, but you cut him off. “I swear to God, if you say it’s because I’m special I’m going to climb out of this chair and kick your ass myself.” Sam’s mouth shut again as a small half smile teased his lips. 

“You got it.” Dean answered. “You are one big ball of special.” You rolled your eyes at him but sighed. 

“I know there is more to this, that you two aren’t telling me.” You watched as they shifted uncomfortably in their seats. “And I get that you can’t tell me for some stupid reason or another. But I’m going to want to know the truth, the whole truth,” you amended when you saw Dean start to speak, “soon. So just keep that in mind.” You watched as the boys nodded before you stood. “Alright. I’m going to go shower and then head to bed. It’s been an eventful day.” They tipped their heads at you as you turned and walked out of room and down the hall to the showers. 

Sam looked at Dean when they both knew you were out of earshot. “She’s gotta know the truth.” Dean nodded. “Someone has to tell her.” 

“I know, Sammy. I know. But Cas said he wanted to be the one to tell her, and he’s been off completing those trials to close heaven. He hasn’t been back since she showed up, and there ain’t much more we can do about it.” Sam shrugged and looked down. 

“I know, it’s just. She’s starting to ask questions we can’t answer. She can’t be kept in the dark much longer.” 

“I know.” 

~~~ 

“Hey, Sam, Dean, I need to make a run to the grocery store. We’re out of,” you looked through the cabinets one last time, “everything.” Both boys walked into the kitchen and looked at you. 

“I’ll go right now.” Dean said. 

“Dean,” you sighed and looked at him, hands propped up on your hips. “I’ve been cooped up in here for almost a month. I haven’t even seen daylight in weeks.” You whined. “I’m starting to develop scurvy from lack of vitamin C!” He just looked at you, unimpressed. “Please?”

“Alright, alright!” Dean growled. “But I’m going with you. You aren’t safe to go out without a chaperone.” You gave him the biggest, brightest smile and let out a squeal of delight. You ran up to him and threw your arms around his neck in a big hug.

“Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!” 

“It’s alright. Stop it,” He let out a chuckle. “You’re going to break my neck if you’re not careful.” You let out your own giggle. “Go get your stuff, we’ll leave in ten.” 

“I won’t even need that.” You grinned at him again before spinning on your heel and racing to your room. You were already wearing a comfy pair of jeans and your favorite t-shirt, so all you needed to do was grab your jacket and slip on your shoes. With nimble fingers you snatched up your wallet and tucked your phone (the new phone the boys had provided to you) into your back pocket. You practically bounced back into the kitchen where Sam and Dean were busy in conversation. You stopped, a concerned look on your face as they both froze, angry glares on their faces as they stared at each other. “I’m sorry…did I interrupt?” Sam looked over at you, his glare smoothing off his face. 

“No. We’re good.” Sam said. “Hey, Y/N, just be careful ok? It’s really not safe out there right now.” You nodded. 

“I will, Sammy. Promise. Besides, Dean is going to be with me.” You said as you walked over to Dean. 

“Yeah, I know.” Sam said nodding. “Just, here.” He pulled his demon knife out from his waistband and your eyebrows shot up. He usually never carried in the bunker. “Take this, just in case.”

“Sam,” you started, your hand awkwardly coming out to take the blade from him. “I don’t even know how to use this thing. I’ll probably hurt myself more than anything else.” You tucked the blade at your back. “But I’ll carry it with me, just in case.” Sam smiled and nodded at you. 

“Good.” Sam’s eyes shot to Dean and you saw the two nod at each other. They were having a conversation without even speaking, and you wished, for the millionth time, that you wished you knew what they were saying. 

“Well, come on Y/N.” Dean said as he slung his arm around your shoulders and led you out towards Baby. 

~~~ 

You smiled to yourself as you walked up and down the aisles of the Gas n’ Sip. The boys seemed to have a phobia of going to an actual grocery store, but since this was your first time out of the bunker since you arrived almost a month ago, you weren’t going to pitch a fit. You held your little basket and happily grabbed the items you needed from the shelves. Your eyes floated down the aisle to see a mother and her daughter arguing about whether or not the child needed to have a king sized candy bar. You smiled to yourself. You missed human interactions. With a quiet sigh you grabbed a couple more bags of chips, tucked them into your basket and moved to another aisle. 

You heard the bell jingle on the door as the mother dragged an unhappy child outside and back to their car. An older gentleman walked in and moved towards the section with the large fridges, casting a smile at you when you caught his eye. You smiled back before ducking your head and moving down the row of food. Dean was waiting in Baby for you, and he warned to not be noticed by anyone. It had been a gentle reminder, but the danger behind the unspoken words was very real. You didn’t need to be reminded that you were currently on two “most wanted” lists and you really didn’t want to get caught up in that mess. 

You surveyed your basket happy that you had what you needed and made your way to the front to pay for your groceries. As you rounded the corner you almost ran smack into the older gentleman that had entered. “Oh, I’m sorry.” You said, a smile on your face as you tried to step around him. 

“Don’t be sorry.” He grinned at you and stepped to the side, blocking you from going towards the front. Your eyes darted up to his and you noticed they flooded black. “I’ve been hoping to run into you for a long time.” Your heart thudded quickly in your chest as your blood ran cold. You dropped your basket with a yelp and tried to run back up the aisle to get away. You made it a few feet before strong arms grabbed you and hauled you up against him. “Don’t struggle sweetie, you’re going to need your strength.” The demon taunted in your ear. 

“Help!” You yelled as the store clerk made his way towards the commotion. You thrashed, hoping to break free or tip off the attendant making his way over. Maybe he could turn around and call the cops while this demon was occupied. The thought died in your head as you watched his eyes turn black as well, and your heart sank.    


“Oh, sweetheart, you can yell for help all you want, but no one is going to find you.” The store clerk hissed as he reached to grab your legs and haul you up. You felt the old man cover your mouth, effectively silencing you with his steel grip against your face. As you thrashed against the two of them your eyes darted towards the window where you saw Dean fighting with two demons of his own. You watched, hoping and praying he would make it inside, up until your view was blocked by entering the back store room. Your wide, frightened eyes watched as the two demons dragged you to their car and tossed you into the trunk. Before you could bolt up, or even grab Sam’s knife, the older one reached out, punching you. Pain exploded in your temple before everything went black. 

~~~ 

Sam sat in the library reading through some lore when the rustling of feathers alerted him to the fact that Castiel had decided to join him. “Hey, Cas.”

“Hello, Sam. Where are Dean and Y/N?” He asked, pensive and worried. He always worried when he wasn’t able to watch over you. 

“They ran to the store. They should be back soon.” The change in Cas’ face was slight, but if Sam had looked he would have noticed. Sam’s gaze jerked over to his phone where it rang on the table, signaling Dean was calling. He picked it up and held it to his ear. “Hello?” Sam’s face paled as he listened to Dean on the other end. He jerked to stand. “What?” He paused and listened again. “What do you mean? How did that happen?” He growled into the phone, his eyes landing on Castiel. Castiel’s stomach was churning and he had to swallow down the heavy lump that was forming in his throat. “We’re on our way.” Sam said tersely before clicking off his phone and staring Castiel in the eyes. 

“What’s happened?” Cas asked, dread flooding him. 

“It’s Y/N.” Sam started. “She’s been taken.”


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Trigger warning: descriptions of torture and pain. You have been warned!!

Dean flinched when Cas appeared in front of him, a dark thunderous look on his face. There were no words that needed to be said, as Cas turned and walked into the, now empty, Gas N’ Sip. He walked around, noting the mess of food scattered all around the floor, that basket of items that laid dropped and forgotten, its contents spilled and adding to the mess on the floor. His eyes darted to the ceiling, looking for cameras that may have caught who your assailants were and where they had taken you. He spotted two, and made a mental note to check the footage once he’d worked through his anger at Dean. He stormed angrily out the door, noting that Sam had arrived in another one of their cars  and was checking out Dean’s injuries. 

“Cas, I-I,” He started but Cas wouldn’t even let him finish. 

“Do you realize what you have done?” His voice rumbled lowly as his eyes narrowed at his friend. 

“I know.” Dean exhaled.

“Do you, Dean? I charged you with one job. You just had to keep her safe! Now she’s been taken.” Cas pursed his lips, gritting his teeth, trying desperately to keep his temper from flaring up. “She’s been taken by demons, and they’re-”

“ _ I know, Cas. _ ” Dean said, wiping the blood from his lip. “I know, and  _ I’m sorry. _ ” His green eyes met Cas’s electric blue ones. “I’m sorry. I should have been paying closer attention. Two demons got the drop on me, and by the time I took care of them she was gone. She was just gone, man.” Cas looked away as anger flooded him once more. 

“Look, Cas, I know keeping Y/N safe was top priority, and we messed that up.” Sam said, trying to calm both his brother and the upset angel all at once. “But we’ll get her back. You have to believe that. We will get her back.” Cas stared Sam directly in the eye, unblinking, and firm. 

“We had better.”

~~~ 

Your eyes darted around the room, trying desperately to see in the pitch blackness. You knew you weren’t alone. You could feel eyes boring into you, even if you couldn’t see them, and it made you want to squirm, which you couldn’t do either. Your throat was dry and your head pounded from where that demon had knocked you out. You needed to figure out where you were so you could get away or at least find someone to help.

Your ears strained to listen to the surroundings but it was as if someone had surrounded your whole head with cotton. Sounds were dampened. You couldn’t see. But you could smell. The smell of mustiness, mildew and water hit your nose and you had a sinking feeling you were locked away in some abandoned building. You wanted to whimper. You wanted to cry. 

Your eyes darted down to your arms, and you noticed for the first time you were sitting up, tied to a chair. Your arms were tied to the arms, and your ankles were secured to the legs. You flexed both your legs and arms to see how strong the bindings were and groaned when you felt thick scratchy rope cut into the skin of your wrists. 

“You ain’t walkin’ away from this.” A voice sneered from the darkness and your head snapped up to stare in that direction. “We got plans for you. Straight from the top.” A snide chuckle sounded from the shadows and the fear welled up in your throat as you recognized the voice of the demon from the Gas N’ Sip. “The boss says we’re not supposed to kill you, but we get to have some fun with you.” Finally a scraping sound echoed against the dark walls and you saw the twisted gleeful face of your kidnappers emerge into the dim light as he stepped forward. 

“Wh-what are you going to do to me?” you cried as you tried to lean away from him. His face broke into a dark sinful smile and you knew what ever was planned it was going to leave you broken and battered. 

“Oh, we got a lot planned.” He grinned again. 

“W-we?” You were stalling, but you had to ask. How many of these things were going to be there to break you?

“Oh yeah.” Another voice, a woman’s voice, sounded as three more people stepped forward. You studied them with fear in your eyes. You recognized the attendant from the store, but not the woman nor the new man standing just to her right. “You think we’d let him have all the fun by himself?” You watched (there wasn’t much else you could do) as she stepped forward and tangled her hand in your hair. She yanked back viciously, causing you to cry out in pain as your head slammed back and you stared up at the ceiling. A light turned on, low and taunting, and you noticed you were in a storeroom, old boxes and shelves forgotten and consumed by time. 

Your eyes darted around, trying to see through a high window in your field of vision before the woman’s face blocked everything else. You studied her. She was young, younger than you, with short brown hair that was pin straight and fell just below her chin. Her eyes flooded black and you felt your jaw tremble as your body froze. “I don’t see what is so important about you.” She sneered as she studied your face. “You’re just a human. Nothing special.” She looked over at the other three. “We really can’t kill her?” She asked. “I don’t want to be stuck on babysitting duty.” You couldn’t see their responses but by the scowl on her face you knew they’d told her she couldn’t kill you. She let out a growl and shoved your head away from her and forward. 

Your head popped up again to stare at everyone and you watched as they all seemed to communicate with each other without speaking. A spear of fear shot through you as the new guy stepped forward. You watched him with bated breath until something shined and glinted in the corner of your eye. Your head jerked towards the attendant and you saw the metal blade of a very serious knife move in front of him. It took a moment for you to register that he was holding a hunting knife and moving toward you, but once you did you began to struggle against your bindings. You didn’t notice the new guy grab your hair and hold you still. “Don’t struggle.” He hissed into your ear. “It’ll just hurt more if you do.” And with that the attendant stepped forward and placed the blade on the skin over your collarbone. 

“Please.” You begged, eyes shutting tight. “Please don’t hurt me. I’m a nobody!” You wailed but it was to no avail. The four demons grinned evilly down at you before the blade cut your skin and dragged down towards your sternum in a slow painful pass. You let out a shriek of pain and the blade disappeared, only to press against the other side of your neck. “Please…” You cried weakly, tears gathering in your eyes before falling down your cheeks. 

“Oh sweetheart,” the woman sneered, “begging is exactly what we want.” The blade dragged down your skin again, and you screamed as you felt the blood start to trickle down your chest. 

~~~ 

“Dean. Anything?” Cas’s voice asked, making the older Winchester jump. Dean looked up at Cas, a frown turning down his lips. 

“Dammit, Cas. What did I say about just popping in? You gotta announce yourself.”

“I thought that’s what I just did.” Dean stared at Cas with a mixture of annoyance and frustration before turning his gaze back to the map he was looking at. “Have you found anything?”

“Nothing solid.” Dean said as he crossed out yet another area that had turned into a dead end. 

“Dammit, Dean. It’s been three days. Y/N could be dead.” Cas growled. The fear and anguish swirling around inside him made him want to hit something, but he knew that wasn’t the way to solve anything. 

“If she were dead, wouldn’t you...I don’t know, feel it or something?”

“That’s not how it works.” He grumbled, slumping down in a chair. “I wouldn’t expect you to understand.” He bit out, looking at the map, studying it. 

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Dean snapped. Castiel’s piercing blue eyes darted up to Dean, a mix of confusion and apprehension in his gaze. 

“That wasn’t some slight, Dean. I mean it is special for Angels to have a-”

“Dean!” Sam shouted before storming into the room carrying Dean’s ringing phone. Dean stared at Sam. “Dean, answer it.” Sam urged as he shoved the phone at Dean. 

“Sammy, I don’t see why a phone call is so important. We can’t help out with any cases right now.”   


“I know, Dean. Look who is calling.” Sam said. Dean’s eyes darted down to the phone and then widened before he hit the button and pressed the phone to his ear. 

“Crowley.” Dean growled into the phone. 

“Hello, Squirrel.” Crowley crooned into the phone. “How are you today?”

“What the hell do you want Crowley? I’m a little busy.” Dean was not in the mood to deal with the King of Hell, but he was the only person who might have any information on Y/N’s whereabouts. 

“Oh, and here I was thinking you’d be overjoyed to hear from me.”

“Why would I  _ ever _ be overjoyed to hear from you, Crowley?” Dean grit his teeth as he heard Crowley chuckle into the phone. 

“Now, now Squirrel. Be careful. I think I found something you lost, and I’d hate for it to be any more damaged than it already is.” Dean’s eyes hit Cas and stared, hard. The angel perked in his seat. “She’s a pretty little thing. I can’t believe you lost her.” 

“Get to the point Crowley.”

“I’m in the market to make a deal.”

“A deal? For the girl?”

“Oh, I never do business over the phone. Meet me at that little dive bar where you took down that werewolf.”

“Dammit, Crowley, that’s over a day’s drive away.”

“Then you better get moving, mustn’t you? Bye now, Squirrel.” The phone went dead and Dean had to resist the urge to throw it across the room. 

“Dean…” Cas started. 

“We need to go.” He ground out, moving to go to his room to grab all the weapons he liked to keep on his person during a fight. 

“Dean where?” Sam asked, following behind to grab his own gear. 

“A day’s drive. The bastard wants to make a deal.”

~~~ 

Pain shot through every inch of your being. You were dizzy, exhausted, starving, and most likely low on blood. The four demons had had their fun, for God only knew how long, before you’d been too weak to hold up your head. They’d cut at you so not an inch of skin was untouched. They’d used knives, swords, and even their bare hands, digging into already old wounds until you’d practically begged for death. They’d grinned as if it was the biggest joke. 

You didn’t get to die. Where would the fun be in that. Your body had trembled as they’d switched methods of torture and began the physical assault. 

That was how you found yourself curled up in a heap on the floor. Your hands were bound as were your feet, but even if they hadn’t been you wouldn’t have been able to fight back. Your right eye was swollen shut, blood trickled down from your other eyebrow, stinging the only eye you could see through. You lips were split, and you were pretty sure your nose was broken. Every time you swallowed to try to moisten your parched throat (parched and dry from screaming in pain) you tasted the coppery tangy taste of your own blood. Your ribs hurt from the repeated kicks, and you were sure they had to have cracked or broken a few. It hurt to breathe. You begged, and prayed, to anyone who would listen for death. To just put you out of your misery. 

You heard the heavy lock on the door slide open and you whimpered, trying to ball tighter into a ball but gasping as the pain from your ribs made you jerk a little where you laid. “Oh, pet.” Lindsay, the woman who had taken great pleasure in cutting you when it was her turn, sneered. “Come now, it’s time to go.” You cried out as she grabbed your arm, squeezing against a particularly deep cut that was still slowly oozing blood. “Don’t worry. The pain will all be over soon.” She jerked you up to your feet, cutting the bindings at your ankles so you could walk. 

“Are you going to kill me?” You rasped out as you struggled to stay standing through the dizziness that hit you. She roughly shoved you forward, and you stumbled, falling to your knees. 

“If you don’t get up and walk I will.” She growled, clearly put out to have to deal with your weakened state. Your legs shook as you fought to stand and then take one step. She gripped your arm tightly in her hand, practically dragging you along and out of the room you’d been in for what seemed like months. You spotted Earl (the Gas N’ Sip clerk) standing near a door. He neared you and grabbed your other arm. The two lifted you so you no longer had to walk since you were more of a hindrance to them as it was. They made their way outside to a car and shoved you into the trunk. You didn’t put up much of a fight as they closed the door to your little compartment. The ride was quick, and before you knew it you were being hauled out of the trunk and dragged to the back of dingey looking bar. The dizziness won out and you let your head fall forward, going limp in the demons’ grips. You barely registered speaking, more like angry harsh arguing, but soon a hand was digging into a wound on your arm and you let out a shriek of pain and jerked your head up, your eye landing on Dean and Sam, and a mysterious third person. 

~~~ 

Sam and Dean stood in the alley behind that bar, staring daggers at Crowley as Castiel’s crystal gaze searched the darkness for any sign of you. “Where the hell is she Crowley?” Sam growled, his hands fisting as he held his gun up, pointed directly at Crowley’s head. 

“Put that down, Moose. She’s just coming from the car.” His accented voice floated along the darkness to the trio’s ears. The sight that met them when you arrived horrified and sickened them. You were drenched in blood, your chest, arms and legs cut and covered in dried blood. Your head hung low and you hair hid your face. 

“Dammit, Crowley! What did you do to her?” Dean hissed. Castiel could barely contain himself as fury raged inside him. You were so broken and it was all these demons’ faults. He would smite every single one of them where they stood before the end of the night. 

“Ah, ah!” Crowley taunted as he held up a hand, stilling Castiel in his attempt to move forward. “First our terms, then I’ll give her back. You two blockheads need to give me the demon tablet and stop trying to close the gates of hell.” Sam and Dean stared at each other, both knowing that was out of the question, while Castiel just watched you, hoping for any sign of life. 

“How do we even know she’s alive?” Dean called, the words tearing at his gut. Crowley rolled his eyes before looking over at the two demons carrying you. The three of them watched as the woman dug her fingers into your arm, causing blood to drip from the open wound underneath. A painful shriek sounded as your head popped up to stare at everyone. The relief on Cas’s face was enough to satisfy both Dean and Sam. “Ok, so she’s alive. But how do you know she’s going to be enough to make us stop our mission?”

“Because, I know what she is.” Crowley crooned with a smile. “I know what she is to your feathered friend over there.” Your eyes shot over to the British fellow and you wanted to scowl if you could have. You weren’t anything to the man in the trench coat. You’d literally never laid eyes on him before this instant. You were flooded with grief at knowing for certain they had the wrong person. 

“And what if that’s not enough for us?” Sam continued. “She’s just one girl.” You noticed Crowley’s eyes narrow before a loud crash sounded. It all happened in the blink of an eye. Sam and Dean rushed the demons holding you, stabbing them. You watched as light flashed inside of each of them before you were falling to your knees. Sam wrapped you in his arms as he slowly lowered you to the ground and called for Cas. Your eyes watched as both Dean and the trench-coated man held blades up towards Crowley.

“Oh bollocks.” Crowley growled. “You’ll never be able to keep her safe, you know. And if you think my men were bad, just think about what your angel companions would do to her.” Crowley pinned Castiel with a hard glare. “You’ll be finding pieces of her for the next millennium when they find her.” He grinned at the surprise etched on to Cas’s face. “What, didn’t think I knew about your little side mission?” Crowley grinned again. “You’re all the talk underground, my fine feathered friend. Now, if you don’t mind, I’m going to be making my way back to hell.” 

“You’re not going anywhere.” Castiel’s voice ground out. 

“Oh really? Because I’m pretty sure if you don’t go to your pet, your brothers and sisters will be all over this place, and they’ll gladly finish off what my men started.” Cas’s eyes darted to your crumpled, broken form slouched against Sam. When he looked back Crowley was gone. He let out a growl before turning and making his way over to Sam and you. His eyes sought out yours and for a brief moment his crystalline blues met yours and you wanted to smile through the pain. You wanted to reach out to make him feel better, but knew you just didn’t have it in you. Your eyes strained to focus on his before everything went black and you succumbed to the darkness. You were safe with the boys again, and that was enough to give you peace enough to give in and sleep. 


	6. Chapter 6

You floated on the edge of consciousness for what seemed forever. Hearing voices that you couldn’t quite make out. Feeling people moving you and touching you, but not feeling any pain. It was like you were in a dream. When you came to, the first time, you were cradled against a solid chest in the back of the Impala. Your tired, barely cracked, eyes scanned your surroundings and you saw the back of Dean’s head, and Sam’s profile sitting up front. A soft light started to glow from your arm and your eyes flicked tiredly down to watch as a hand you didn’t recognize floated over your skin, light shining from the palm. You wondered briefly what was happening, and then who that hand belonged to since Dean and Sam were in the front seats, but shrugged the troublesome thought off as you fought to keep from drifting off back to sleep. 

“Y/N?” Sam’s concerned voice sounded but you were just so sleepy. You tried to offer him a tired smile before your heavy eyelids closed and you succumbed to the darkness once more. 

The second time you floated out of the dark fog was similar, but this time the mysterious hand was floating near your collarbones, the same light glinting off the blood on your skin. You shifted, trying to see who the hand belonged to, but your body felt like led, and your eyes felt scratchy. You gave up your attempts to discover your mystery hand’s identity as your head gave a hard throb. You let your head lull to the side as your eyes slid shut again, the darkness clouding your consciousness once more. 

The third and final time you woke up during the car ride you were nestled against the chest. Hands held you gently against a warm chest, as voices floated above your head. You were still so tired. The voices grew hazy and distant, and you struggled to keep listening. A deep rumbling voice sounded in the chest under your ear and you reveled in the sound. It was pleasant and put you at peace. Without thinking, you nestled your face deeper into the chest, wanting to be enveloped in the warmth that it offered. The hands on your back and side tightened their hold on your through your shirt and you let out a soft sound of appreciation before you slid silently back into the darkness again.    


~~~ 

Cas watched you silently as you floated in and out of consciousness. The fact that you were regaining consciousness at all was promising, especially after the ordeal you’d had and all the blood you’d lost. His heart ached that you were in so much pain, and had endured so much torture because of him. He wanted to heal you completely, and erase the terrible memories of the past. You didn’t deserve any of this. He healed what he could reach, careful not to touch your bare skin. He didn’t want to cause you any extra pain. You rolled in his arms, pressing your bruised and bloodied face against his chest and he had to bite the inside of his cheek to keep from scooping you up and nuzzling into you. His hands fisted in the fabric over your back and he relaxed in the backseat of the car. His blue eyes scanned around him, wanting to just use his wings and angel abilities to spirit you away to the bunker, and he watched as Sam turned and met his eyes. 

“Is she-” He trailed off. 

“She will be alright. When we get back to the bunker I’ll finish and she’ll be all healed.” Sam nodded. 

“Are you going to tell her?” Dean’s voice rumbled from his place behind the wheel. 

“Yes.” Castiel said, his voice as calm and steady as steel. “She needs to know what happened to her, and why.” Dean nodded. 

“Good.” He cast a quick look at Castiel over his shoulder. “Because if you weren’t going to tell her, I was. She just went through hell and has no idea why. She doesn’t deserve that.” Cas nodded. 

“I know, Dean.”

“Do you?” Dean asked harshly.

“Yes, Dean.” Cas answered back with just as hard an edge to his voice. “If I recall correctly, we both agreed she couldn’t know right away. That it would be detrimental to her, and that she couldn’t handle the full story.” Dean sighed. He knew it was true. “And if you remember, she wouldn’t have been captured and tortured if you hadn’t let her go into the store without you. She shouldn’t have left the bunker, Dean.”

“So,” he paused, trying to stifle the anger simmering in his blood. “Are you saying this is my fault?”

“No, Dean. He’s not saying that. Are you Cas?” Sam said, giving Castiel a pointed stare that he hoped wouldn’t be lost on the angel. Cas just grit his teeth, refusing to speak, and cast his eyes out the passenger window. “Guys, we need to calm down. Everyone is really upset because of what happened to Y/N, but lashing out at each other isn’t going to solve anything. We need to work together to protect her from everything that’s after her.” Sam met eyes with Castiel and then pinned Dean with a hopeful look. “Deal?” Dean let out a sigh before nodding once. 

“Deal.” Sam looked to Castiel, eyebrows quirking and waiting for his answer. 

“Of course. We’ll work together to protect her.” Cas nodded before letting his eyes float down to your unconscious form. You were too precious to lose again. Too precious to let anything harm you again. Cas would do everything in his power to keep you safe, that was a promise he would keep to for the rest of his existence. 

~~~ 

You felt yourself being carried, and slowly drifted back to the world of the living, your eyes slitting open and seeing the lapel of a beige trench coat. You instantly were alert, you body humming, at what you had no idea, but it felt like you had a thousand bees under your skin, buzzing around incessantly. Your eyes scanned the room and you noticed you were in the bunker, the war room to be more precise. For a few, blissful moments you just enjoyed this buzzing hum of your body before the memories of the past three days hit you. 

You stiffened in the man’s arms. You felt him stop and met his eyes with yours. “Put me down.” You said softly. Nerves and embarrassment getting the better of you. Your eyes scanned his face and you felt your heart thump quickly in your chest. The man had beautiful blue eyes, thick dark brown hair, that looked absolutely and irresistibly touchable, and lips that looked like he wanted to be kissed. Currently those lips were twisting into a frown as he tightened his grip on you. 

“Y/N...I don’t think that would be a good idea.” You started to wiggle in his grip. 

“Cas, put her down.” You heard Dean say as he walked up closer to you. 

“But…” He started to protest, but a look from Dean had him stopping with a sigh. Castiel gently set you down on your feet, holding onto your arm gently to keep you from falling while you steadied yourself on your feet. 

“Thank you.” You said, before looking over at Dean and then at Castiel. “So, you’re the mysterious Castiel. I’ve heard about you.” You said, studying him. He gave you a soft smile. 

“Yes. I am Castiel, and you’re Y/N.” You smiled, feeling your cheeks heat up. 

“Yeah. I bet Dean and Sam have told you all about my fun adventure.” Cas’ smile faltered.

“Well, actually, I was the one that informed them of your ‘fun adventure’ as you put it.” You stared at him, eyes narrowing. You were confused. “I’ve known about your situation for a lot longer than they have. I asked them to come help since I couldn’t be there myself.” 

“My situation?” You questioned, trying hard to keep the anger that was building inside you at bay. He nodded. “You mean you’ve known that I’ve had angels and demons after me.” He gave another nod. “Do you happen to know why?” He looked uneasily from you to Dean and then back to you before he nodded.    


“Y/N…” Dean started. “You need to rest. You’ve been through some tough crap.” You rounded on Dean, anger barely contained. 

“Oh, no.” You started. “I’ve had my friends murdered, been attacked, been holed up inside this damn bunker until I just about pulled my hair out, then I was kidnapped and  _ tortured _ , Dean. I want answers.” You turned and pinned Cas with an icy stare. “Why is everyone after me?”

“Y/N,” he started and paused, “I’m not sure you’re ready-”

“ _ You’re  _ not sure  _ I’m _ ready?” You seethed, the anger bleeding into your vision and you practically saw red. “I was just kidnapped and tortured, for reasons I have yet to hear, and  _ you don’t think I’m ready?” _ You felt Dean come up behind you, resting a hand gently on your shoulder. 

“Y/N, you need to calm down sweetheart.” 

“No, Dean, what I need are answers.” Your angry eyes met his green ones. You pinned him with a stare so heated he knew without a shadow of a doubt that you weren’t backing down. With a quick nod you turned and pinned the poor hapless angel in front of you with the same fierce glare. “Why is everyone after me?”

“You’re-”

“I swear to God, if you say special I will stab you with that blade you have hidden up your sleeve.” You growled. Castiel’s piercing blue eyes widened and then looked from you to Dean as if asking silently for help. Dean just crossed his arms in front of him and gave a one should shrug.

“Dean, help.” Castiel pleaded. 

“She’s right. She needs to know, Cas. She deserves to know.” Castiel gave a sigh, his gaze dancing from Dean to your face and then back again. “Tell her Cas.” He let out a sigh. 

“Y/N,” Cas started, faltering over his words. “I’ve known you a lot longer than you imagine. I’ve watched over you since you were born.” Your confusion only mounted the more he spoke, but you were determined to hear him out. “You are something very special. One of only a handful ever created by my father. And the only one created for me.” His words were cryptic and it only served to frustrate you more. 

“What the hell am I?” You stressed. 

“You are my soulmate.” He rushed out, his blue eyes darting from your face to the ground. 

All the blood rushed to your head. Your heart froze in your chest and you felt like you had difficulty breathing. In the blink of an eye your heart hammered back to life, your blood flowing rapidly through your body. You felt hot, and dizzy and reached a hand out to steady yourself against the wall. You felt Dean’s hand grab your shoulder and you shrugged him off, casting your eyes at him before snapping back to Castiel. Fury raged through you. White hot rage boiled your blood and you fisted your hands at your side. All the pain. All the confusion and he’d been able to explain it all. All of this could have been spared. Derrik, Marsella, could have been spared. “Y/N?” Dean called from behind you. 

“Did you know?” You asked. Your voice low and calculated. Dean uttered sounds, unable to voice a complete answer. “Dean, did. You. Know?”

“Yes.” He said defeatedly. You closed your eyes, trying to calm your breathing, and quell the urge to scream and hit something. 

“And neither one of you bothered to explain this to me?” You yelled, your anger getting the better of you. “You didn’t think to tell me that the reason heaven and hell are after me is because I’m supposedly some soulmate to an angel?” You rounded on Dean, making him flinch back in your anger. “You didn’t think to tell me this before you let me leave the bunker? You didn’t think I needed to know  _ why  _ everyone was after me? That maybe I should know so I could prepare myself, and protect myself?” Dean floundered for a second but you didn’t have the patience to wait. “And you!” You shouted, turning back to Castiel who stood, face contorted almost in pain as he watched you. “You didn’t ever once stop to think maybe you could have spared everyone and just popped in to tell me? You didn’t think it was worth Marsella’s life? Or Derrik’s?” You cried. “They were my friends! And you let them die!”

“I didn’t-”

“No! You let me go on my merry way, never once in my life, stopping by so that I could learn to protect myself; to protect them! You didn’t give me any tools to protect them and because of that they are dead now! They’re gone. Because they happened to work in the same place as your soulmate...who you  _ left to fend for herself when everyone came to hunt her!” _ You were almost to hysterics, but at this point everything you were feeling was just too much. Anger, grief, sadness, fear. All of it roiled around inside you and threatened to make you sick. You took a step back, flinching when Castiel reached out to you. “No.” You said, deathly calm. “Don’t touch me.” You felt tears prick at your eyes and moved to rub them, yelping lightly when you touched the sensitive and bruised skin near your eyes. 

“Will you at least let me heal you?” Castiel asked, voice pained and rough, like he was holding in more emotions than he knew what to do with. 

“No.” your eyes pinned him in a hard stare again. “I want to keep my face the way it is. I want you to look at me and see exactly what you did, when you decided to not tell me the truth from the beginning. I want you to be reminded of everything I went through every time you see my face.” You spat out before you turned you back on him. “I want you to think about all the pain I’ve gone through because of you.” You heard his sharp intake of breath before you stalked down the hall towards your room. You bit the inside of your lip to keep yourself from running. You needed to be strong. At least until you got into the safety of your room. As soon as the door clicked closed you felt the pieces of your soul shattering inside you. You reached out for your teddy bear, blinded by the tears pooling in your eyes, and scooped him up close to you. You pressed him against your chest and you curled up on your bed, and let the first tear fall. 

The first one hit your pillow, and then a second, and before you knew it you were crying in earnest. All the pain. All the anguish. All the heartache. All the fear. You were finally able to let it all out, and let it out you did.  You couldn’t have stopped crying, even if you had wanted to. Your head hurt, and you were exhausted, and you let yourself cry until you drifted off into a fitful sleep. 

~~~ 

Castiel stood silently outside your bedroom door. He fisted his hands at his sides as he listened to your muffled sobs. He wanted nothing more than to go inside and comfort you. His whole being ached with it. He waited for as long as it took your sobs to quiet and your heart to return to a normal rate. His hand came up to rest gently against the door. He took a deep breath and then disappeared with the sound of rustling feathers. 


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please forgive how long it took to get this chapter out. I don't have an excuse other than life got away from me for a little while.

You screamed at the top of your lungs as you bolted upright in your bed. Your frantic hands pawed over your body, trying to find the wounds caused by the blades cutting your skin. Your sleep-riddled brain fed into the nightmare and you screamed again as memories of the pain flashed in your mind. Your heart was hammering in your ribs as your eyes flew down to stare at your arms and chest, searching for the wounds you knew had to be there. 

Your door flew open and your terrified eyes landed on the concerned faces of Sam and Dean. Their large bodies filled your doorway and you wanted to sigh in relief. Your hands pushed your hair back from your forehead, where it laid matted against the sweat gathered there. “I-I’m sorry.” You whispered brokenly. “It was just a nightmare. Again.” Your voice cracked as the tears gathered in your eyes and you brought your hands up to hide your weakness. The first sob made you jerk where you sat, and before you could choke down a second, you felt the bed dip beside you and felt Dean’s arms wrap around your shoulders, pressing your face against his chest. You breathed deep, trying to calm yourself as his scent surrounded you. It helped and made you feel better, but you knew deep down, there was something missing that would help to soothe and calm you completely. You needed Castiel, but you refused to call out for him in your time of weakness. He’d done this to you, him and his poor choices, and you were still pissed as hell. 

It had been nearly two weeks since you’d escaped the torture and arrived safely back at the bunker. Two weeks since you’d found out you had an angel for a soulmate, and then promptly raked him over the coals for all the hell he’d caused in your life. You still had to fight back the anger when you thought about it during the day. At night; now at night that was a different story. Every night you’d been wracked with nightmares. At first it was just memories of being tied up in the dark. You’d still woken in a panic but, after turning on the lights in your room, you were able to calm yourself and fall back asleep. When you resigned yourself to the fact that the nightmares would be a nightly routine, you took to just going to sleep with the light on. It helped but you were still waking up frantic. 

Now your dreams were changing, morphing, becoming darker and more vivid. You’d started with seeing the blade from your memories, hovering over your skin but always jerking awake in a panic before it touched you. Tonight was the first night you’d watched as it dragged along your skin, pulling a thick line of deep red blood to the surface of your skin as you heard your voice screaming in your own in ears. The second drag along your sternum had been the move to wake you. You’d bolted upright screaming as you fought the phantom pain that lingered in your memory. 

“Y/N, you’re alright.” You heard Dean whisper just above your head. “It was just a dream.” His hands smoothed up your back, trying desperately to soothe you. “You’re safe, and in the bunker.” You sobbed quietly into his chest, trying to catch your breath as the fear slowly dissipated from you. You sat wrapped in Dean’s arms until your breathing evened and your tears dried. You pulled back gently, wiping your eyes and shaking your head. 

“I’m sorry.” You said quietly as you tried to clean your face. “I just…”

“Don’t apologize. You’ve been through a lot.” Dean rumbled as his hand came up to cup your cheek. His thumb grazed your cheek, smearing a dried tear trail. “This life is hard, and you’re allowed to not be ok.” You offered him a weak, wet smile before nodding. 

“Thank you.” You sniffed before letting out a small breath. “I’m alright now. You can go back to bed. I’m going to get some water, listen to some music, try to get some more sleep. I’ll be alright.” You watched as Sam and Dean pinned you with a concerned gaze before you put your hands up. “I swear. I’ll be alright.”

“Alright. You just call us if you need anything.” You nodded and offered another smile. You watched as Dean stood and followed Sam out of the room, closing the door behind him silently. You took a couple steadying breaths before you pulled your knees up towards your chest, and wrapped your arms around them. You rested your forehead on your knees, listening to your heart hammer in your chest as you counted silently in your head. You needed to steady your breathing before you caused yourself to have a panic attack. Flashes of a glinting blade flashed in front of your closed eyes and you stiffened. You shook your head quickly against your knees, trying to shake the frightening memories out of your head. Your frightened eyes opened and you raised your head to look around the room. You needed to focus on something else. Something to take your mind off the fear. 

A flash of calm blue eyes popped into your mind’s eye and you felt your insides release a little. A sense of calm washed over you. Your heart beat easier. Your eyes scanned the room almost guiltily, as if you expected to see Castiel pop into your room like he knew what you were thinking about. Not seeing him suddenly appear, you bit your lip and slowly sunk down onto your bed. You opted to leave the light on, but rolled onto your side, and closed your eyes. You thought hard about those calming blue eyes. What it felt like to have them staring at you, watching you. You thought about the mesmerizing tint they had and worked hard to memorize the exact shade of blue. For a brief moment your eyes fluttered and you could swear you saw those perfect blue orbs staring down at you, but that was before you slipping into peaceful dreaming. 

~~~ 

Dean quietly closed the door to your room, and turned to look down the hall at the trench coated figure he knew was there. “Cas, you gotta stop this. You know what she needs is you.” 

“But, the last time…”

“Dammit, Cas. I know what she said the last time.” Dean hissed, trying to keep his voice down. “She can’t sleep without the light on, she wakes up screaming every night, and cries herself back to sleep. She thinks we can’t hear her, but we do.” 

Cas’s face contorted in pain. He knew of your nightmares, and he ached to appear in your room each night and hold you until your fear went away. He wanted nothing more than to hold you and show you that you were safe, but the last time you had seen him, you’d forbid him from touching you. You’d made your feelings very clear about him. You hated him. You wanted him to remember the hurt you had gone through and to feel that pain. And he did. He felt the pain every time he looked at your face when you were sleeping. He felt the pain when your voice screamed for him during your nightmares. He felt the pain when your fear permeated the air of the bunker and he hid in the shadows outside in the hall while the brothers went in, night after night, and tried to calm the raging storm within you. 

“What do you want me to do, Dean?” Cas asked. 

“You need to go in there and make it right. You need to help her. Just go in there and talk to her, man.” Dean reached out and planted his hand on the angel’s shoulder. “She’s your soulmate, Cas. She can’t stay mad at you forever.” Cas gave him a nod and watched as Dean let out a yawn. “Now, I’m headed back to bed.”

“Good night, Dean.” 

“Night, Cas.” And with that Dean walked down the hall and into his room. Cas watched him go and let out a sigh. Suddenly he heard a whispering floating through his mind. He listened carefully, recognizing your voice whispering his name, over and over again. On silent wings he appeared in your room, and watched as you curled up on your bed, your mind flooding with him. He listened as your heartbeat slowed, your breathing calmed, and your mind flooded with thoughts of him. He could tell you were drifting off to sleep with him on your mind and it made his heart thud faster in his chest. His feet carried him to your side and his hand gently reached out and smoothed your hair. He watched as your eyes fluttered open slightly and looked at him, your lips quirking into a small tired smile before you succumbed to sleep. Maybe Dean was right. Maybe you were ready to forgive him. 

~~~ 

You stared at yourself in the mirror that hung over the sink in the bathroom. You were tired. You could see the dark circles forming under your eyes. In the two and a half weeks since you’d escaped, sleeping had been the only thing that hadn’t returned to normal. The nightmares were getting steadily worse, but you’d found a way to combat the fear when you woke. You continued to wake up frightened and panicked, but one thought of those calming blue eyes and your heart was slowing down again. Your breathing was calming. 

But the fact that most of the night was spent in a sweat-filled panic was starting to take it’s toll. You let out a yawn as you tugged your hair down from its ponytail, watching as it fell around your shoulders. With a sigh you pulled out your face lotion and rubbed some into the dark circles, hoping that the cream would help make them go away. You stared at your reflection once more before turning and making your way to your bedroom. You stared at your bed, chewing on your lip before turning your head towards where you heard the brothers talking in the library. Quietly you walked over and watched the brothers laughing over something on Sam’s laptop. 

“What’s so funny?” you asked and noticed both the boys look up at you, their smiles falling a little. 

“Geez, Y/N.” Dean started. “You look exhausted.” You scowled at him playfully. “You should get some sleep.” You nodded. 

“I know. I was just getting ready for bed when I heard you two dorks laughing like hyenas in here. So come on, out with it. What’s so funny?” You walked over to stare at something on the computer. 

“Ah, nothing. Sam just found some funny videos on the internet of people doing stupid things.” Dean motioned to the video and you watched as it played. You shook your head as you watched the video, rolling your eyes. 

“You guys are ridiculous.” You laughed and shook your head. “Alright. I’m off to bed.” 

“Alright. Hey, Y/N?” Sam called before you left the room. “How are you doing? Are the nightmares getting worse?” You looked down, your fingers toying with the hem of your shirt. 

“Yeah, but I figured out a way to cope with them.” You gave him a brilliant smile, hoping desperately that they wouldn’t ask what it was. 

“That’s good, Y/N.” Sam said, a smile on his lips. “Have you...have you seen Cas?” Your smile fell and you looked down. You shook your head no, but couldn’t voice what you really wanted to say. “Listen, I know you’re still mad, Y/N. And you have every right to be.” He added quickly when it looked like you were going to cut him off. “But you have to know he didn’t do any of this out of malice. He thought he was protecting you. He cares about you, Y/N. And you know he can help with everything. You don’t have to do this alone.” You stood there for a moment before you offered a soft nod. 

“Good night Y/N.” Dean rumbled quietly.

“Good night boys.” You replied, casting them a big smile. “And Sam, thank you.” He tipped his head and watched as you made your way down the hallway towards your bedroom. 

~~~ 

You watched with frantic eyes as hands scraped down your skin, digging into old wounds that were already oozing red blood. You whimpered as pain shot through you, your eyes shutting tight. Suddenly, fingers dug into a wound, ripping your flesh open and causing you to scream.

You bolted up in your room, the air frozen in your lungs as fear filled you. The only thing you could do was scream a solitary name in your head.  _ Castiel. _ You barely finished the last sound in his name before he was standing in front of you, fear and sadness in his eyes. 

“Y/N, what-?” He didn’t finish his question before you launched yourself up on your knees and grabbed two fistfuls of his trench coat. You pulled with all your might and delighted as you watched his body tilt off-kilter and tumble to sit on your bed next to you. You trembled as your hands released his coat and wove around his torso. You would have woven your hands around his body under his shirt and pressed your skin against his warm skin if it wouldn’t have taken too much time to dislodge his button-up from his pants, or undo the buttons. You settled with pressing your cheek against his chest, and breathed in deeply. His scent calmed you, and the feeling of having him pressed against you, soothed your fear. 

You felt the familiar buzzing under your skin, and knew it had something to do with the whole soulmate business, but at this point you were so wrapped in your fear you didn’t pay it any mind. When his arms came around you and pressed you more firmly against him you dared to let out a sigh. You closed your eyes and listened to his heart beat firmly against your ear, letting the rhythmic sound bring you down from your adrenaline fueled high. 

Castiel stared down at the top of your head. The feeling of having you pressed against him, taking comfort from him after weeks of knowing your fear, seeing your pain, was enough to have him sagging against you. He’d been searching for the next task to close Heaven when he’d heard your frightened cry of his name. He’d arrived inside your room, not bothering with knocking or waiting outside, and seen you in such a panic it had nearly brought him to his knees. He’d been about to ask you what the matter was when you’d promptly grabbed the front of his jacket and pulled him to the bed. You were practically curled up in his lap arms wrapped like a vice about his ribs. He could feel you trembling and shaking from yet another nightmare and wrapped his arms around you, pressing you close and wishing he could do more to envelope you and bring you comfort. “You’re safe.” he breathed into your hair and he felt you relax in his grip. 

“I know.” You mumbled into his chest, and he could hear your voice thick with tears. “You’re here.” He felt you shift and looked down to meet your eyes. “Thank you.” Your voice sounded so small, so vulnerable, and it made him ache to think you believed he wouldn’t come for you. 

“You don’t have to thank me. I’ll always come when you call.” He whispered hoarsely, trying to keep his unfamiliar and intense feelings at bay. He watched as you smiled a small watery smile before nuzzling your cheek into his chest. He rested his chin gently against the crown of your head and held you, feeling you relax as your fear slipped away.


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for being so patient with me and waiting for this chapter! I already have the next one done, so it will be posted next Monday. Enjoy!!

“Alright, Y/N, this time, keep your left hand up while you’re throwing your right to help block your face.” Sam said as you moved around. You were training. When you’d come back to the bunker and had your first nightmare you’d woken the next morning and demanded that the boys teach you how to fight, or at least to protect yourself. It wouldn’t do for you to hide out here at the bunker for the rest of your life. The fact that you were Castiel’s soul mate wasn’t going to just go away, and it wasn’t like Castiel or the boys were going to stop their mission to close the gates of heaven and hell, so the need to protect yourself was a dire one. 

You’d barged into the library where Sam and Dean were sitting, scouring books and maps (their friend Kevin had gone missing) and told them that you needed to learn to fight. They’d looked at you like you were nuts, but you’d forged ahead with your request. You not only needed to learn how to fight, but you needed to know how to handle weapons. You didn’t necessary want to become a hunter, but until the price on your head was lifted you needed to be trained like one. At first Dean had objected, vehemently, but he’d come around when Sam had pointed out that they weren’t always going to be able to keep you in the bunker, and look at what happened to Kevin. He’d been in a place that was warded and what they thought was safe, but he’d still turned up missing without a single idea of where he’d gone. 

That was how you found yourself in workout clothes sparring against Moose-man himself, Sam. He wasn’t really trying to hit you, but he wanted you to at least see the holes in your defensive stances. Demons, and Angels for the matter, wouldn’t hesitate to take advantage of any weaknesses you had. You watched as Sam moved around you, hands darting out to gently tap you in areas that were left unblocked by your arms. You dodged and pivoted, missing his hands at every turn. You were so focused on his hands you failed to miss the mischievous grin that came to his face. The second his hand made contact with your side, he wiggled his fingers and you let out a shriek of laughter. 

“Sam!” You giggled as he grabbed you and began tickling you in earnest. “Sam, I can’t breathe! Stop it!” You laughed, trying desperately to wiggle out of his grasp. You wound up wrapped in his arms, your back pressed against his chest. One of his large hands gripped your wrists against you while the other tickled your sides. “Sam!” You whined between giggles. 

“Careful, Y/N, you think a demon is going to let up on you when it has the upper hand?” He said, a big grin on his face as he tortured you. 

“No...but I honestly don’t think a demon is going to tickle me if it gets its hands on me.” You laughed. 

“Sam.” You both froze as the gravely voice sounded from the doorway. You’d heard that voice many times since that night in your bedroom, but never had it sounded like that. You both turned your gazes to stare at Castiel. You could tell from where you were that he was gritting his teeth and was unhappy. “I need to talk to you.” He continued, not moving as he stared at Sam’s hands which were still pressed against you. Sam gave a nod before letting you go, almost as if you burned to touch,  and straightened. 

“Alright. What’s up Cas?” He smiled gently at Castiel, but Cas’ stoney glare had him quickly clearing his throat. “Uhm, Y/N...I’ll be right back.” You wanted to roll your eyes. 

“Don’t worry about it. I need to go for a run anyway.” 

“I don’t think…”

“I swear, I’ll stay right around the bunker. I won’t go anywhere that isn’t warded or where I can get away quickly. And I’ll carry my cell.” Sam looked to Cas, like he was asking permission, and you glared at him before you stalked out of the room. You made a pit-stop at your room and grabbed your cellphone and headphones. 

Popping your headphones into your ears, you turned on your music and made your way outside. Your jog was slow, you never were much of a runner, but you needed to build up your cardio. You started just going around the massive bunker, but then decided to take a small detour through the fields and into the small line of trees. No one would see you and you needed the change of scenery. As you ran, listening to your music, your mind inevitably floated back to Cas and the sound of his voice today in the training room. 

It had sounded so thick and a tinge angry. It had made your heart beat faster in your chest. You could imagine the sound of his voice sounding very similar to that when you two were together. You froze as you neared a tree. You barely knew the man, Angel, had really only had a few interactions with him. Truth be told, you really didn’t even know where you stood on the whole ‘soul mate’ thing. Aside from an odd buzzing under your skin you weren’t really affected by him, well you weren’t really affected  _ anymore than normal _ . The man was beautiful. Just having him in the same room (which never really happened) was enough to make you lose your breath and an odd twisting started in your stomach. You weren’t naive. You knew you were attracted to him, and wanted to be intimate with him, but you weren’t sure about all this soul mate stuff. 

For all he was worth, it seemed like he never really wanted to be around you. He still disappeared from rooms when you would enter. He never talked to you directly. He never, ever touched you. Aside from that night he’d held you after your nightmare, he’d never touched you, and even considering that night, he never laid a finger on your skin. It was almost like he was afraid to touch you. You wanted to groan. This was all so confusing. Shouldn’t a soul mate want to be with you as much as you wanted to be with him? You shook your head, trying to clear your mind of the troubling thoughts. You turned on your heel to make your way back to the bunker and nearly yelped at seeing you weren’t alone. 

Your eyes took in Cas standing before you, the look on his face was studying. It felt like he was trying to memorize every detail about you. You yanked your headphones out of your ears, tucking them into your pocket as you stood there silently, your heart beating a rapid tattoo in your ribcage. You took a deep breath. “Cas.” You uttered softly. “I didn’t expect to see you.” That was an understatement. “I didn’t think you wanted to see me.” The look of shock that marred his features took you by surprize and you wanted to smooth out the worry that followed. 

“Why would you think that Y/N?” He rasped, not daring to take a step towards you. 

“You didn’t seem that happy to see me in the training room, and you always disappear when I enter a room. I just figured you were avoiding me.” You answered honestly. 

“I have been trying to give you space.” He responded. “It was suggested to me that you were still unsure of being my soulmate, of us. And that I should let you figure it out before I pursued anything.”

“Who told you that?” You squeaked, but before he answered you already knew. 

“Dean.” You both said together. You smiled and shook your head. 

“He means well, but Castiel, don’t take his advice on relationships.” You tried to smile softly. “He doesn’t have the best track record.” Cas gave a small imperceptible nod. 

“So does that mean you have made a decision?”

“I didn’t know there was a decision to be made.” You answered. “But a person can’t decide to be with someone if they don’t spend any time together. I mean I don’t know anything about you. Aside from being an angel, and the fact that you cause this buzzing feeling under my skin, there isn’t much I know about you.” He smiled a small smile. “What?”

“The buzzing. I guess that is an appropriate way to describe the feeling. You feel the buzzing too?” Your eyes widened. You hadn’t meant to mention it, but from the sound of it, it seemed he felt some sort of buzzing too. You nodded meekly. 

“What is it?”

“It’s your soul calling out to my grace.” He supplied easily. “When an angel has a soulmate usually it is another angel, and their graces reach out for each other. The meeting of graces is a soothing feeling, that helps the two in bonding, and allows them to sense how the other is feeling when they are near.”

“But, I don’t have grace.” You mumbled. “Will it still be the same?”

“Yes.” He said simply. 

“And how does this soul-melding thing happen? Has it already happened?”

“No, I’ve been waiting to see what your decision was.” You nodded in understanding. “So, have you decided?” You watched him. He seemed so vulnerable, even though nothing about him had changed. You knew he wanted you to accept him, and even now you could feel the buzzing of your soul reaching out for his grace. You wanted to be with him. You wanted to explore this whole soulmate business. You two were made to be together, and you couldn’t imagine what kind of hell it would be to leave that behind. Living without it, without knowing it existed was one thing, but walking away was something you didn’t think you could do. You bit your lip before you nodded. 

“Yes, Castiel. I’ve decided.” A look of trepidation passed his features as he waited for you to tell him your answer. “All my life, I’ve hoped there was someone out there for me, and now I find that there is a person, an angel, made especially to be with me. And I’m made to be with him. Why would I pass up that blessing?” You smiled at him, unsure of what came next. You watched as relief flooded him and he took two steps, closing the distance between you two. The buzzing became stronger and you watched as his hand came up towards your cheek. His deep blue eyes watched you as his fingertips gently traced the curve of your cheek, before settling his palm on your bare skin. 

The buzzing stopped instantly, and was replaced by a warm fizzing that started in your limbs and traveled inwards towards your heart. A powerful streak, something you could only imagine as a lightning bolt, zipped through you, filling you with feelings until you thought you might burst from it. You let out a gasp as your hands came up and gripped the front of his trenchcoat. You watched as his blue eyes widened and his pupils dilated. You felt the lightning bolt move around inside you, and become gentle as it caressed something deep within you. You briefly wondered what it was, but your mind screamed that was his grace cradling your soul and you needed no more explanation. 

You felt his thumb trace over your cheek as the feelings welling up within you settled into a gentle pulsing within you. Your eyes darted from his eyes to his lips and you felt the flash of want that filled you. Without preamble you stood up on tiptoes, tugging gently on his coat (which you still clutched in both your hands) and brought his lips down to yours in a kiss. The desire flared to life and you had to catch your breath as you felt Cas’s hands land on your hips and pull you close to him. The kiss was fiery, and passionate, and you were quickly losing control of your actions. You wanted him. You wanted him worse than you’d ever wanted anything in your life. It was humbling, and it was frightening. 

Just as quickly as the kiss had started it ended. Cas gently pulled away, nipping your bottom lip before taking a deep, steadying breath. “What?” You asked weakly, confused as you felt the need pulse inside you again, swallowed by an intense need to comfort. 

“Bonding can be a bit overwhelming, and feeling each other’s feelings can be a bit frightening, especially since our connection is stronger than I expected it to be.” His voice was strained as he tried to control his need for you. He’d wanted you for so long. He’d know what  you were the second he’d laid eyes on you. He’d watched you grow, and watched out to make sure nothing untoward happened to you in your youth. As you blossomed into a woman the grip of the soulmate feelings had grown and he’d been powerless to stop the instincts that assaulted him. He’d watched in the shadows, knowing that you weren’t ready and that it wasn’t safe. When he’d heard whispers in the wind of demons and angels being after you, he’d known he couldn’t hide in the shadows and hope you’d be alright. He’d had to step in. 

He’d dispatched a few demons before he’d called Sam and Dean to help him. He knew showing himself to you, given the danger, wasn’t going to help anything; so he’d stayed back and let Dean and Sam reach out to you and protect you. Once you’d been captured the fear and dread that had filled him had been enough to make him tremble. He knew in that instant he couldn’t hide what you were to him, he had to tell you. But you’d been so angry when they’d saved you. He could feel the rage that pulsated through you, even without bonding with you, and he’d chosen to stay away rather than see the hatred in your eyes. 

Every night you’d had nightmares your mind had called for him. He’d refused to go to you, instead staying in the hallway while the boys had soothed your fears. The jealousy had clawed at his gut uncomfortably, but all it took was one memory of your angry eyes and he’d stayed firmly in the hallway. That was until you’d called for him on purpose. He’d wasted no time in going to you. It had been hell to stay away from you after that, but Dean had said that you needed to accept everything rather than have it forced on you. Now that you had the need that filled him was suffocating. The only thing quelling it was the fear and confusion pouring into him from you. He knew it was a lot and you needed time to adjust. 

“That’s you?” You queried, referring to the desire still burning inside you. You watched him nod slowly and you knew it was taking his everything to stay calm. You could feel it. “It’s a lot.” You continued. “I want...I want you, but,” you added as he moved to kiss you again, “this is a lot.”

His head came down to rest his forehead against yours. “I know. And I will wait.” You nodded before you brought your hands up to stroke his cheeks. 

“Thank you.” You sighed, closing your eyes and enjoying the warmth floating around inside of you with his grace. You stood like that for seconds, minutes, hours, whatever the time it didn’t feel long enough when Cas was gently pulling back. 

“We do need to get back inside.” He rumbled. “That’s what I stopped by to talk to Sam about. Angels have been moving around the perimeter of the wards on the bunker. They’re getting closer and I don’t want you out in harm’s way.” Your eyes darted around, almost expecting to see another angel appear. 

“Alright.” You agreed before you took his warm hand in your own and made the short walk back to the bunker. As you descended the staircase, still hand in hand with Cas, you watched the boys walk over towards you. 

“About time.” Dean said, a big goofy smile on his face. You couldn’t help but smile and nod. “So, now that angels are sniffing around the bunker we can’t guarantee that they won’t find it. Or they won’t find you if you’re out and about.” You nodded again. “So you gotta train, and Cas, as much as you’re going to hate it, we’re  _ all _ going to have to help do it.” You felt Cas grimace more than saw it. 

“I just want her safe.” He grumbled before squeezing your hand. “If everyone training her is the best method then that is the route we go.”

“You think you can handle it? It’s going to be a lot, Y/N.” Sam asked. 

“I was already training a little with you, I think I can manage.” You supplied easily. You knew Sam had just been teaching you the basics, and now you were training for the big leagues. This was going to overwhelm you, but you knew they needed to tear you down to build you up bigger and better. You looked to Cas and smiled a small smile. This was worth it though.  _ He _ was worth it. 


	9. Chapter 9

You fell to your knees, bracing yourself on your hands as you panted heavily. You heard someone move closer to you and you resisted the urge to shrink in on yourself. Your arms shook from exhaustion and you let yourself tilt down to sit on your hip, holding up a hand to ward off your oncoming attacker. “Alright. Alright. I give.” You panted, your face turning up to stare at Sam as he came closer to you, and you knew he wasn’t going to stop. “Sam,” you pleaded. “I can’t…” 

“Alright, easy tiger.” Dean called from the entrance of the room. Your gaze jerked to the doorway where Dean was leaned against the wall. You watched as he pushed himself from the wall with a jerk of his hip and then walked towards you and Sam. He clapped a hand on Sam’s shoulder. 

“But Dean…” Sam started. 

“She can’t even stand up without her legs shaking.” Dean said with a laugh in his voice. “She’s getting better, but she’s still building up stamina.” Sam looked down at you and noticed the arm supporting you against the ground trembled a little. Sam gave a nod and moved to help you up off the ground. You smiled at him. 

“Thank, Sammy.” You said as he all but lifted you off the ground. 

“No problem, Y/N.” He breathed before sighing. “I’m sorry I pushed you so hard.” He helped you walk towards the corner where the chairs and waters were waiting. 

“No. Don’t apologize.” You grinned at him as you sat in a chair and pulled a hand towel out to wipe your face and shoulders down. “If you always take it easy on me, I’ll never get better.” He smiled down at you. “I need it.” You looked at Dean. “So I take it, you either came in to ask about lunch, or because it’s weapons training time?” Dean grinned at you. He was so predictable. 

After you’d accepted Castiel’s position in your life, the boys had all decided to take a role in making sure you were trained well enough to protect yourself from everyone after you. Sam was your official workout and hand to hand partner, Dean taught you about weapons and how to use them, and Castiel...well Castiel spent his time with you talking to you about all the things he’d seen and experienced in his long life. He was supposed to be teaching you about lore, but honestly every time he started talking about some new creature you’d ask him questions and send him off into a tangent that often turned into hours of listening to him talk. 

You enjoyed the times he showed up randomly to share his knowledge, even if the time was spent mainly trying to keep your hands to yourself.  That was a constant for you though. Both Cas and you had a hard time keeping your hands to yourself, constantly needing to be in contact, even if it was just holding hands or an innocent touching of your leg against his as you sat together. It wasn’t even a sexual thing (which the sexual tension was there at all times as well) it just made you both feel calmer, more complete to be touching. 

Cas’s calming touch also came in handy during the night time, when your nightmares raged in your mind. They’d never gone away, but had definitely lessened over the course of time. One night you’d had a really rough one, waking up practically screaming Cas’ name, and before you were fully conscious you felt Cas’s arms wrap around you and press you close to his chest. You’d been flooded with relief and calm as you’d buried your face in his chest. He’d spent the night holding you and stroking your hair until you’d fallen asleep, and then he’d stayed because the feeling of you curled up in his arms was indescribably perfect. He couldn’t bare to let you go. 

Today was just like every other day. You’d woken wrapped in Castiel’s arms, stared up into those big blue eyes, and wished you didn’t have to go anywhere. It was a solid knocking on your door that roused you. Sam had called out and reminded you that when you were ready to meet him in the sparring room so you two could practice. You’d groaned and sat up, not wanting to leave the warm protective cocoon of Cas’ arms. He’d followed you in sitting up, placing a gentle kiss on your forehead, and smiled down at you. “Go.” He’d whispered. You smiled up at him, and nodded before standing and gathering some clothes together to get changed. You heard the telltale sound of rustling feathers and noticed Cas had disappeared. With a sigh you changed and made your way to meet with Sam. 

“Alright.” You said, panting less, but still winded. “So which is it, Dean? Lunch or weapons?”

“Lunch.” He said with a grin. “And then weapons. You need some recoup time anyway.” You  nodded. “I thought maybe we could hit up that diner in the town a few minutes out.” Your eyes widened and you stared from Sam to Dean. 

“But I thought…” you trailed off. 

“You’re doing really well, Y/N. I think you can handle yourself if we go have lunch outside the bunker. Plus, it would be good to wet your feet a bit. See what you can do against something that isn’t Sam and me...and seeing as how there’s a case out that way.” Your heart hammered in your chest and your nerves threatened to choke you. 

“You want me to go up against something...for real?” You squeaked. 

“Yeah.” Dean looked to Sam who thought for a moment before nodding. 

“You wouldn’t be alone, and you have been training non-stop for a month. I agree. It’s time to see what you can do on a hunt.” Sam smiled. “And don’t worry, we’ll be there the entire time to back you up.” You thought for a moment before nodding once. It really wouldn’t do any good to keep yourself cooped up in the bunker anymore. You were stronger, faster, and able to handle yourself now, and they were right. You wouldn’t be alone. 

“Alright.” You brightened at them. “Give me a few to get showered and get some stuff together and we can go get lunch.” Sam smiles and nods. You stood up, on still shaky legs, and made your way to the showers. 

~~~

Sitting in the back of the Impala was tense as you listened to the brothers bicker about what was the best course of action. “Guys,” you chided lightly, “sitting in the car arguing isn’t going to get this done.” They stopped and looked at you. “Come on. Let’s at least go inside and take a look.”  They looked between them and sighed. 

“Let’s get Cas here first. We don’t know what we’re walking into, and instinct says it’s a lot worse than we first thought.” You nodded. You wouldn’t pass up an excuse to see Cas at any opportunity. A rustle of feathers signaled his arrival and you smiled at him as he settled into the backseat next to you. 

“What is going on?” He rumbled from beside you, and you could hear the worry in his voice. “Why is Y/N out of the bunker?”

“We wanted to see how well the training is working. How she can handle herself in real life situations.” Sam hedged. He could feel the unease rolling off of Cas in waves. 

“We weren’t going to leave her alone to handle anything, and we thought this was an open and shut case. One demon that we could all handle.” Dean continued. “When it started looking like more, we called you. We know you would do anything to help keep her safe and figured you’d want to see how she’s doing as well.” Cas’ eyes flicked to you and you reached out, reflexively, to take his hand. 

“I wanted to come.” You offered. Cas squeezed your hand and then looked back to the brothers. 

“So what is going on?” 

“Couple disappearances, some fishy things going on. It all leads back to this warehouse.” Dean motioned to the large warehouse you were parked outside of. “Wanted to check it out. Figured you’d want to be here since it’s not as cut and dry as we originally thought.” Cas nodded 

“Alright.” He nodded. “Let’s check it out.” 

The four of you piled out of the car and quietly made your way into the warehouse. You watched as Sam and Dean motioned for the two of you to go around the back. You nodded and followed the angel around the warehouse, pulling your blade out so you at least felt a little more prepared for what was coming. 

The warehouse was quiet and actually quite dark for being the middle of the afternoon. You followed behind Cas quietly, eyes darting around searching for any sign of anything that might be out of the ordinary. Nothing stood out, and it made you anxious to just be done with this whole thing. You hated the idea that something could pop out at you at any given moment. 

“Cas!” Dean’s voice echoed through the warehouse and your heart was instantly in your throat. You watched as Cas turned, barreling down a corridor and into a random room. You followed closely stopping cold when you saw both Sam and Dean out cold and slumped against the far wall. 

“Cas, what?” You froze, you blood turning to ice as you felt the pointed tip of an angel blade press against your throat and a strong hand grip your shoulder. Cas whipped around, blue eyes going wide and filling with fear and anger. 

“Gabriella.” He took a step towards you both and you felt the tip dig a little deeper into your skin. “Sister, what are you doing?” 

“I’ve come to fetch your precious soul mate.” She said and you instantly recognized that voice as the angel who had come after you the first morning you’d met Sam and Dean. Cold fear knotted in your belly. “She’s been hidden will since that first night, and Naomi is getting impatient.” 

“You don’t need her.” Cas reasoned. “Just let her go.”

“Not a chance, Castiel.” Gabriella sneered. “This little human has caused me quite enough trouble. I’m taking her to Naomi as instructed. She’s got a plan for her.” You were jerked back against the angel’s body. 

“You don’t need her. Take me.” Cas pleaded. His eyes held fear in their cerulean depths and it made your insides ache to comfort him. “It’s me Naomi is after anyway. Let Y/N go and I’ll go with you to her. You don’t need Y/N.” Gabriella’s eyes narrowed as she stared at Castiel. 

“Oh, I beg to differ. She is the key to making sure you cease your ridiculous endeavor to close heaven’s gates.”

“No. If you let her go, I’ll go with you. I’ll see Naomi and stop closing Heaven’s gates.” Cas pleaded. “Please. Just let her go.” 

“Cas, no.” You cried. “You can’t do that.” You felt Gabriella release you and felt something solid connect with your skull, dropping you to your knees. The edges of your vision blurred black and you struggled to stay up, falling to your hands before collapsing to the ground. The last thing you saw before the world went black was the horrible face of Gabriella as she held her angel blade to Cas’ throat, and then they were gone. 

~~~ 

You awoke with a screaming headache and stared up at Sam and Dean. You were in the back of the Impala and they were leaning over you, making sure you were ok. You bolted upright, groaning as the pain flooded your brain and your stomach roiled at the topsy-turvy sway of the world in front of your eyes. “Cas?” You called, trying desperately to right yourself. “Where is Cas?” Your eyes landed on Sam’s face. 

“He wasn’t there when we woke up.” Sam offered. “We got jumped by an angel. She did a number on us.”

“Yeah. She got me too. Was going to take me, but Cas got her to let me go.” You whimpered, rubbing delicately at your temple. “We have to find him. We have to get him back.” 

“Whoa, calm down Y/N. We will.” Dean said, reaching out to steady you gently. “Right now, he’s probably in a place we can’t get to, but we’ll figure something out. We’ll make it right.” You wanted to cry at the bereft feeling inside you. The drive back to the bunker was short, but tense. It had gotten dark in the time it had taken you to wake up and that only made it worse. You knew tonight would be the worst night of your life. You looked out the window, trying desperately to focus on something, anything, other than what was going on. 

A flash caught your eye and you let out a gasp. “Stop the car!” You cried and Dean pulled off to the side of the road. Your face was practically pressed against the window as the sky lit up. “What the hell is that?” You whispered as you watched what looked like thousands of fiery stars fell from the sky. 

“No…” Dean breathed, horror in his voice. 

“What?” You cried, tearing your eyes away from the sight. “What is it?”

“Angels.” Sam answered. 

“The angels are falling.” 


End file.
